Nailing machines



Dec. 27, 1960 M. J. G. WYLIE NAILING MACHINES 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 16, 1958 McZG.

Dec. 27, 1960 M. J. G. WYLIE NAILING MACHINES '7 Sheets- Sheet 2 Filed April 16, 1958 Dec. 27, 1960 M. J. G. WYLIE NAILING MACHINES 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 ed April 16, 1958 LZLUeILZ OP LZLQ Dec. 27, 1960 M. J. a. WYLIE NAILING MACHINES '7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 16, 1958 lzzuen'tor M.J 6.115 li/' Dec. 27, 1-960 M. J. G. WYLIE 2,965,901

- NAILING MACHINES Filed April 16, 195.8 1 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 lnulzitor IZ.QIG,H 7ZZLQ Dec. 27, 1960 M. J. G. WYLIE NAILING MACHINES 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed April is, 1958 1960 M. J. G. WYLIE NAILING MACHINES 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed April 16, 1958 Unite nfi NAILING MACHINES Matthew John Graham Wylie, Glasgow, Scotland, assignor to Matthew Wylie & Company, Limited, Glasgow, Scotland This invention has reference to nailing machines of the kind provided with a table to support the wooden members to be nailed together, a series of nail boxes surmounting the table, a hammer for each hammer box, means to feed the nails to the nail boxes and a power tates Patent operated hammer slide which, when driven downwards,

drives the hammers which, in turn, drive the nails in the nail boxes into the wooden members supported therebelow by the table.

In nailing together wooden members by a nailing machine of this kind the nails are liable to split the wood, this being particularly the case where hardwood is befng nailed. In the construction of wooden pallets, for example, hardwood is commonly employed and in nailing the hardwood members together by a machine of this kind a substantial number of the wooden members are split during this operation.

The present invention has therefore for its object to provide improvements in nailing machines of the kz'nd set forth whereby there will be no danger of the wooden members nailed thereby being split during the nailing operation.

According to the present invention in a nailing machine of the kind set forth the nail boxes have associated therewith a series of hole forming devices and both the hole formers and nail boxes are movable as a unit so that they can be brought successively into a position directly over the points where the nails are. to be driven whereby the hole forming device forms a series of holes in the wooden members to be nailedtogether and thereafter the nails are driven into the preformed holes.

The invention further consists in a nailing machine of the kind set forth provided with a vertically slidable frame, a horizontally slidable slide which carries the nail boxes and is carried by the frame, a vertically slidable slide carried by the horizontally slidable slide, the vertically slidable slide carrying a series of hole formers corresponding to the nail boxes, and means for raising and lowering the frame, for traversing the horizontal slide relative to the frame and for raising and lowering the vertical slide relative to the horizontal slide. The construction and arrangement is such that an assembly of wooden members can be clamped on the table by lowering the frame, the hole formers being over the points where the nails are to be inserted, the holes formed by lowering the vertical slide and driving the hole formers, the hole formers retracted by raising the vertical slide, the nail boxes positioned over the pre-formed holes by traversing the horizontal slide and the nails driven into the holes by means of the hammer slide.

The inventions still further consists in a nailing machine as set forth in the preceding paragraph wherein the vertically slidable frame, the horizontal slide and the vertical slide are all operated by piston and cylinder assemblies to which fluid under pressure is supplied and exhausted under the control of a series of valves one of which is manually or pedal operated and the others automatically operated successively by the movement of the previously operated component.

Safety stops may be provided to prevent the descent of the frame until withdrawn, said stops being wlthdrawn at the commencement of a cycle of operations by fluid pressure under the control of a valve which initiates the cycle of movements and therefore preventing the lowering of the frame in the event of failure in the fluid pressure system.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the right hand side of the improved nailing machine, the top and bottom thereof being broken away;

Figure 2 is a sectional end elevation, to a smaller scale of Figure l and showing a pallet placed on the table and the vertically slidable frame in its raised position and the horizontal slide in its forward position;

Figure 3 shows diagrammatically the fluid sup-ply system operating the machine; 7

Figure 4 is a view corresponding to Figure 2 but showing the frame lowered to clamp the pallet on the table;

Figure 5 is a view corresponding to Figure 4 but showing the vertically slidable slide and drills in the lowered position;

Figure 6 is a view corresponding to Figure 5 but showing the vertically slidable slide in its raised position and the horizontal slide in its rear position;

Figure 7 is a view corresponding to Figure 6 but showing the hammer driven down to drive the nails into the holes in the pallet. V

The improved nailing machine as shown in the drawings comprises a supporting structure formed of a right hand and a left hand column connected by a centre section, not shown, at the base. Only the right hand column, designated 1, is shown. The tops of the columns are connected by a connecting plate carrying a nail feeder by which nails are fed through guides 2 to the nail boxes 3, which carry the hammers 3a. The nail feeder, which is not shown and is well-known by those skilled in the art, is driven by an independent motor. The columns have two vertical guides 1a which carry the nailing table 4 and hammer slide 5 and a vertically slidable rectangu lar horizontal frame 6. The table 4 is capable of vertical adjustment by any suitable means to suit the pallet or other wooden structure to be nailed. I

Said horizontal frame 6 is raised and lowered by four pneumatic piston and cylinder assemblies 7 carried by the vertical columns, the piston rods 7x of the assemblies being connected to the sides of said frame.

Carried by the horizontal frame 6 is a horizontally slidable slide 8 having side flanges 8x which travel in guides 8y formed in the sides of theframe 6. This slide includes a transverse front member Sz which carries hammer boxes 3. Also carried by the frame 6 is a pair of pneumatic piston and cylinder assemblies 9 by which said slide 8 can be traversed backwards and forwards within the frame 6, the piston 9x of the assemblies being connected to said slide. This slide carries a further slide 10, not shown in Figure 1, which is capable of'a relative vertical movement, three hydraulic piston and cylinder assemblies 11 being provided for this purpose; Said assemblies 11 are mounted on brackets 11x carried by the slide 8, one of the assemblies being centrally of the slide 8 and the others disposed towards the ends thereof. The vertical slide carries a series of pneumatically operated hole formers 12. There is one hole former for each hammer, each hammer with its associated hole former being in the same vertical plane extending from back to front of the machine parallel to the ends of the said frame. The hole foimers are not shown in Fig. 1 as they are positioned at the rear of the nail boxes.

Each column 1 of the machine carries a locking device or safety stop 13 arranged to engage with the aforesaid frame 6 and to retain it in its upper position until said devices are retracted. Said devices are operated by pneumatic piston and cylinder assemblies 14.

The underside of the frame is provided with a number of compression bars 15 extending from front to rear at spaced distances apart, the foot of the nail boxes and the hole formers being accommodated between the bars.

The pneumatic system controlling the operation of the machine will now be described with particular reference to Figure 3.

The stops or locking devices 13 are withdrawn to permit lowering of the frame 6 by operating the pneumatic piston and cylinder assemblies 14 to which is supplied and exhausted compressed air under the control of a shuttle valve 14a to which compressed air is supplied through a pipe line 14b. Said valve is moved in one direction by compressed air admitted thereto by a manual or pedal operated valve 140 which initiates the cycle of operations, compressed air being supplied thereto through a pipe line 14d.

The frame 6 is operated by the pneumatic piston and cylinder assemblies 7 to which air through a pipe line 7a is admitted under the control of a main control shuttle valve 7b through a pressure regulator 70 to force the pistons and therefore the frame 6 downwards. By the operation of the same shuttle valve 7b in the reverse direction air is supplied to act on the underfaces of the pistons to raise the pistons and frame. This valve 7b is in turn operated by means of trip valves 7d and 7e to which compressed air is supplied through a pipe line 7 Said trip valves are operated by the said locking devices or safety stops when the latter are reaching their withdrawn position, the compressed air passing from the valve 7d to valve 72 and to the valve 7b.

The frame 6 when lowered operates a trip valve 10a by which compressed air from a pipe line 10b is delivered to operate two shuttle valves 10c and 15. When valve 101: is so operated air from a pipe line 10a is supplied to the top of a reservoir 10:; containing an hydraulic liquid which is displaced and fed to the upper ends of the three hydraulic cylinders of the assemblies 11. The pistons 11a therein are thereby forced downwardly so that the slide 10 which carries the drills is likewise forced downwards. The valve 15 controls the supply of compressed air from a pipe line 15a to a relay valve 15b which in turn controls the supply of compressed air from a pipe line 150 through a pressure regulator 15d and flexible conduits 15e to the hole formers. Only one of the drills, indicated diagrammatically, is shown, but it will be understood that there is a series of such drills all supplied with compressed air under the control of the valve 15b.

When almost at the end of its downward movement the slide 10 operates a trip valve 16 by which compressed air from a pipe line 16a is delivered to reset valve 10a whereon valve 100 is reset by means of a compression spring. Resetting of valve 100 results in compressed air being delivered to reservoir 10f into which the hydraulic fluid on the underside of the pistons 11a had previously been displaced and in the air being exhausted from reservoir 10a. The fluid in reservoir 10f is thereby forced to the foot of the assemblies 11 to raise the pistons therein and thus raise the slide 10. As the slide 10 reaches its upper position it operates a trip valve 17 by which compressed air from a pipe line 17a is delivered to valve 15 thereby resetting valve 15b and thus stopping the rotation of the drills. The operation of the trip valve 17 also results in compressed air being delivered to a shuttle valve 18 which is operated to permit compressed air from a pipe line 18a to enter the cylinders of the assemblies 9 and move the pistons therein towards the back of the machine. The piston rods are connected to the slide 8 which is thereby likewise moved in a like direction to bring the nail boxes 3, which are carried by the slide 8 and are not shown in Figure 3, over the holes formed by the hole formers. Towards the end of such movement said slide operates a trip valve 21 by which compressed air from a pipe line 21a is delivered to a valve 13b which valve is thereby operated to permit the fiow of compressed air from a pipe line 180 to act on the piston within a cylinder 18d, the piston then functioning to couple a. rotating power driven member, not shown, to the hammer slide 5 so that the latter is forced downwards to act on the hammers 3a and thereby drive in the nails. Such rotating power driven member is well known in machines of the kind set forth and therefore is not shown in the drawings.

As pressure builds up in the cylinder 18d the pressure therein is transmitted to a spring loaded relay 18c which, at a predetermined pressure, operates to reset valve 18b whereon compressed air from pipe line 18c passes to the other side of the piston in cylinder 18d to raise said piston, which interrupts the power to the hammer slide and thereby ensures that only one hammer stroke is made in each cycle of operations.

The hammer slide operates a trip valve 19 by which compressed air from a pipe line 19a is delivered to reset valve 18 whereon compressed air from the pipe line 18a is admitted to the other sides of the pistons in assemblies 9 so that the horizontal slide 8 is restored to its initial position in the frame 6. The trip valve 19 at the same time delivers compressed air to the main valve 7b so that air under pressure from pipe line 7a is then delivered to the underside of the pistons in the assemblies 7, thereby raising the frame 6, together with the horizontal and vertical slides, to its initial position.

As the frame approaches its upper position it operates trip valve 20 whereon compressed air from a pipe line 20a is delivered to valve 14a which is operated so that compressed air from pipe line 14b is admitted to cylinders of assemblies 14 to act on the faces of the pistons therein, the air on the other side of the pistons being simultaneously exhausted. The locking devices or stops 13 are thereby moved below the frame.

With a view to clarity the various pipe lines supplying compressed air are shown broken away but it will be understood that they are all connected to a common source of compressed air supply, not shown.

In describing the cycle of operations of the machine it will be assumed that the frame is in its raised position and that the slide 8 is in its forward position, the hole formers being then directly above the points where the nails are to be inserted. The nail boxes are immediately in front of the hole formers. The machine is then in the position shown in Figure 2, the framed pallet, designated Y, being positioned on the table 4.

The pedal valve 140 is then operated to initiate the cycle of operations. The operation of said valve moves valve 14b so that compressed air is admitted to the cylinders of assemblies 14 to withdraw the locking devices or stops 13 from below the frame 6 and they in turn trip valves 7d and 7e so that compressed air is delivered to valve 7b which is operated to permit compressed air to be fed to the upper ends of the cylinders of the assemblies 7. The frame is thereby forced down carrying with it the hole formers. The frame, acting through the compression bars, then clamps the framed pallet or the like on the table. The pallet is thus clamped on the table as shown in Figure 4. The frame operates the trip valve 10a which results in valve being moved to admit compressed air to reservoir 10c and the displaced hydraulic liquid forcing down the pistons 11a and therefore the vertical slide 16 and hole formers. Further the aforesaid operation of trip valve 10a results in the operation of valves 15 and 15b and compressed air being delivered to drive the hole formers while being forced downwardly. Holes are thereby drilled for the reception of the nails.

Figure 5 shows the slide and hole formers in the lowered position.

Near the end of its downward movement the slide 10 operated trip valve 16 which results in valve 10a being reset and valve ltic moved so that compressed air is now delivered to reservoir 10] and the fluid displaced therefrom fed to the underside of pistons 11a. Slide 10 and the hole formers are thereby raised.

As slide 10 reaches its upper position it trips valve 17 which results in the resetting of valve 15 which cuts off the supply of compressed air to the hole formers. Further the operation of valve 17 results in valve 18 being moved so that compressed air is admitted to the cylinders of assemblies 9 to retract the slide 8, the nail boxes, as shown in Figure 6, being then directly over the holes that have been formed. The horizontal slide 8 then trips valve which results in valve 18b being moved so that compressed air enters the cylinder 18a to force downwards the piston therein. The hammer slide 5 then descends on the hammer 3a to hammer the nails into the pre-formed holes as shown in Figure 7. When the pressure in the cylinder builds up it resets valve 18b so that compressed air is admitted to act on the underside of the said piston which is thereby raised to disconnect the hammer slide 5 from the power driven rotary member in known manner. Valve 19 is then operated to move valve 18 so that compressed air is admitted to the cylinder of assemblies 9 to move forwards the slide 8. The operation of the aforesaid valve 19 also results in valve 7b being reset so that compressed air is admitted to act on the underside of the pistons in the cylinder assemblies 7 and thereby raise the frame 6. The frame and slides are thus again in the position shown in Figure 2. The pallet is no longer clamped and can be moved into a position to receive the next series of nails. The raising of the frame 6 trips valve 20 which results in valve 14a being reset and compressed air admitted to cylinders of assemblies 14 to move the locking devices or stops 13 below the frame.

This completes the cycle of operations.

What I claim is:

1. A nailing machine provided with a table to support wooden members to be nailed together, a series of nail boxes mounted above the table, a hammer for each box, means to feed the nails to the nail boxes, a power operated hammer slide for operating the hammers to drive the nails into the wooden members, a plurality of vertical guides, a horizontal frame vertically slidable in said guides, a first fluid operated piston and cylinder assembly for lowering said frame to clamp on the table the members to be nailed, a first slide horizontally slidable in said frame, said slide carrying the nail boxes, a second slide carried by the horizontally slidable slide and vertically slidable with respect thereto, a series of hole formers carried by the second slide, a second fluid operated piston and cylinder assembly to lower the second slide relative to the first slide when the wooden members are clamped on the table so that the hole formers form a series of holes therein, a third fluid operated piston and cylinder assembly to move the first slide horizontally after the holes have been formed to bring the nail boxes over the holes for operation by the hammer to drive the nails into the formed holes, valve means to control the admission of pressure fluid to the first mentioned piston and cylinder assembly to lower the frame to clamp the members to the table and thus to initiate a cycle of operations, trip valve means operated by the frame in its lowered position to control the admission of pressure fluid to the second fluid operated piston and cylinder assembly to lower the second slide to form the holes, trip valve means operated by the second slide when near its lowered position to control the supply of pressure fluid to the second piston and cylinder assembly to raise said second slide, trip valve means operated by the second slide when near its upper position to supply pressure fluid to the third piston and cylinder assembly to move the horizontal slide to bring the nail boxes over the formed holes, trip valve means operated by the horizontal slide to control operation of the hammer slide to drive the nails into the formed holes, and trip valve means operated by the hammer slide to control the supply of pressure fluid to the piston and cylinder assembly of the frame and horizontal slide to restore the frame and horizontal slide to their initial positions and thus complete the cycle of operations.

2. A nailing machine as claimed in claim 1 having re tractable safety stops carried by the vertical guides to engage with and prevent downward movement of the horizontal frame when it is in its upper position, a fourth fluid operated piston and cylinder assembly to retract said stops, pedal operable valve means controlling the admission of pressure fluid to said fourth piston and cylinder assembly to retract the stops, trip valve means operated by said stop when being retracted and by which pressure fluid is supplied to the first piston and cylinder assembly of the horizontal frame so that the frame is forced downwards to initiate the cycle of operations.

Perkins May 30, 1905 Stedler May 13, 1958 

